SOME traders have called on Badagry Local Government of Lagos State to reduce shop rentals at the new Agbalata International Market to boost business activities in the coastal town.

The traders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Badagry that the high rental of N2.5 million per shop annually was “unaffordable and exploitative”.

NAN reports that the council had partnered with a property developer for the reconstruction of Badagry main market into an ultra modern facility with annual rentals ranging from N300,000 to N2,5 million.

But the concerned shop tenants, who claimed that they were petty traders, urged the council chairman, Mr Teliat Onilude, to intervene by reducing the rentals for the market stalls.

Mr Tokunbo Oke, a bookseller in the market, said that the shops were unaffordable for most traders who were only struggling to make ends meet.

“What are we selling inside the market that we have to pay as much as N2.5million for one shop as if we have factories inside the shops.

“Where will petty traders who cannot raise N10,000 for their business get N2.5 million to rent a shop.

“These are petty traders who had been selling groceries and vegetables before government decided to erect new shops.

“Because of the high shop rentals, some traders after paying won’t have money to buy goods for their shops while some abandoned the shops after paying half rental,” the bookseller said.

Oke appealed to the local government chairman to intervene and reduce the rental.

Mrs Chinyere Okorie, who sells second hand clothes, said there was no provision of social amenities in spite of the high rental at the market.

“There is no provision of water, no toilet, no health centre within the market, no power supply, no fire service station in case of fire incident and no hall for meeting.

“There is no drainage, no fence surrounding the market; so there is no justification for the high rental,” she said.

Mr Felix Gbenu, a frozen food trader, said that the shops were not spacious, adding that the materials used for the building were substandard.

Gbenu said that in spite of the high rentals, traders still pay N50 three times weekly as toll to the local government.

According to him, this does not include the tax, trade permit and other levies payable in the market.

He said that the toilet built for traders in the market was been sublet to agents collecting N20 from traders who wanted to use it.

Gbenu urged the chairman to address these challenges before traders desert the market.

In his reaction, Mr Samuel Sewedo, spokesman for the local government, said that the council was working hard to make life better for the traders at Badagry market.

“I think when the traders at the market do a correlation of what is obtainable at other markets in Lagos State, they will appreciate the chairman for working hard to make life easy for his people,” Sewedo said.

He said that it was the previous administration that entered into agreement with the developers.

On the issue of levy the traders pay to the local government, Sewedo said the traders paid N50 every three days which amount to N500 monthly and not thrice weekly. (NAN)

-Aug. 14, 2018 @ 18:53 GMT |